Media and Privacy An Opinion Essay

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Media and PrivacyAn Opinion Essay
Enda Tuomey
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Outline of Steps

• Vocabulary
• Ideas/examples for
• Ideas/examples against
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

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Essay Question

• Do the media treat famous people unfairly? Should
  famous people be given more privacy? Is publicity
  about their private lives the price VIPs must pay
  for fame?

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Step 1 Vocabulary

• Circle the important words in the question.
• Write down as many related words as you can
• If the word is a verb, write the noun form
• If the word is a noun, write the verb form
• Write words with a similar meaning
• Write words with an opposite meaning
• Break down generalizations like media, people

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Vocabulary
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Vocabulary 2

• Media newspapers, magazines, Hello magazine,
  television, radio, internet, Hollywood,
  paparazzi, photographers, zoom lens, scoop,
  exclusive, prestige
• Famous people stars, celebrities, VIPS,
  dignitaries, politicians, leaders, show business,
  glitterati, models, businessmen
• Fair public have a right to know, stars need
  publicity, stars give us hope, something to dream
  about, investigative journalism, private life
  should reflect public life, models for society

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Vocabulary 3

• Unfairly with dignity, too much pressure, too
  much interference, loss of respect, loss of
  dignity, demeaning, in a cage, crazy
• Privacy security, private life, family life,
  effect on relationships, effect on children,
  guards, compounds, virtual prison, masks, tinted
  windows, secrets, news blackouts,
• Fame rumors, gossip, stories, sensationalist
  journalism, libel, lies

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Step 2 Ideas and examples

• Start grouping words and phrases to make ideas
• You need 3 ideas for the topic (agreeing with the
  topic) and 3 against (disagreeing)
• Have some examples for each idea

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Ideas/examples Media are fair (1)

• We pay these peoples salaries
• We have a choice not to buy papers with rubbishy
  stories
• Media only give us what we want - they dont
  create the demand
• Most VIPS get rich because of the media - they
  cannot turn it off just because they dont like
  it
• If you dont want a public life, dont become
  famous

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Ideas/examples Media are fair (2)

• The public needs to know about corrupt
  politicians and businessmen
• Many VIPs are role models. They should have good
  standards in both private AND public life
• The media can focus on positive role models

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Ideas/examples Media are unfair (1)

• Diana - chased to her death by photographers?
• Michael Jackson - already judged guilty by media?
  
• Clinton - unable to function as US President due
  to private life?
• Beckham - children will never have normal lives
• Only in some countries not allowed in others
• Ordinary people often not interested media hype

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Ideas/examples Media are unfair (2)

• Newspapers exist to make money - they just appeal
  to the lowest standard in us
• Media can drive celebrities crazy
• Too much attention can distract the celebrity
  from his or her real talent or work

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Introductions

• Two kinds of introductions
• Situation (some places vs. other places, past
  vs. present)
• Opinion (some people think vs. others think)
• Both kinds have 3 sentences
• One side
• Other side
• Thesis (This essay will)

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Introduction A (Past and Present)

• One side Before newspapers, television, and the
  internet, ordinary people were not exposed to
  endless stories about pop singers, princesses,
  and politicians.
• Other side Today however, we are bombarded with
  information about who is dating whom, where they
  eat, and what they wear at their weddings.
• Thesis Do we really need this information? This
  essay will discuss if famous people should have
  privacy or not.

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Introduction B (Two Opinions)

• One side Most ordinary people respect the rights
  of others to a private life.
• Other side However, some people are obsessed
  with celebrities and VIPS. They want to know
  everything about them, and have an insatiable
  desire for more information.
• Thesis This essay will discuss whether
  newspapers and TV should show us intimate details
  of famous peoples lives.

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Introduction C (Two Places)

• One side In some parts of the world, privacy is
  very important, even for VIPs.
• Other side However, in the US and many other
  countries, the personal life and family life of
  many famous people is public property.
• Thesis This essay will discuss whether
  newspapers and TV should show us intimate details
  of famous peoples lives.

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Step 2 Layout

• Use four paragraphs
• Introduction 3 sentences
• Body (agree or disagree) 7 sentences
• Body (disagree or agree) 7 sentences
• Conclusion 3 sentences
• This is a total of 20 sentences, at 12 words per
  sentence about 240 words

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Body

• There are two paragraphs in the body
• agree disagree
• disagree agree
• Each paragraph starts with a topic sentence

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Body (One side media should not interfere)

• Famous people deserve privacy and respect. First
  of all, we should admire what they do, not who
  they are. If someone is a famous singer or
  footballer, we should enjoy their talent on the
  pitch or at a concert, but we should not invade
  their family or private life through the media.
  Secondly, the children and family of famous
  people should not be affected. Some stars have to
  hire security for their children or spouses
  because of media attention. Another point is that
  too much attention can affect celebrities. They
  begin to act strangely and lose touch with
  reality.

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Body (Other side media should examine VIP lives)

• Although, generally speaking, the media should
  not interfere in peoples private lives, there
  are times when it is correct to do so. If a
  politician is becoming very rich, the media
  should investigate where the money is coming
  from. If a businessman is committing a crime, the
  public should know. It is also fair for the media
  to show contradictions between a famous peoples
  private and public lives. A further point is that
  media such as TV or papers are meeting a demand.
  We can make the media accountable by not buying
  rubbishy magazines or watching sensationalist
  programs

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Conclusions

• A good conclusion
• summarizes the two ideas (for and against)and
• looks to the future and/or
• gives your opinion

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Conclusion

• In conclusion, the responsibility lies with us,
  the consumers. We should treat celebrities the
  way we would like to be treatedwith respect, and
  we should treat trashy media with the scorn it
  deserves.